Finding Freedom
by Cassandra Bremer
Summary: Synthetic Devil Fruits have become rather large in the field of research. An experiment without a name left to a confinement when suddenly the Strawhat Pirates dock on the island. Breaking shackles, learning to love, earning family, and finding dreams can only come from a meeting with these psychopaths.
1. Chapter 1

One Piece doesn't belong to me, but maybe one day . . .

This story has such horrible themes. If you're okay with heartbreak and sad stuff, then this story's for you. But don't worry it'll get so much better! FRIENDSHIP YEAH!

* * *

Prologue

The rusted door moaned as it was forced open, echoing throughout the entire jail. Some muttering was in the distance, muffled by doors and whispers while other voices were projectiles rather close by.

A small naked bundle lay on the frigid floor, long white tresses tangled and greasy with mud, grime, and explicit things. Despite the cruel temperature, the body did not shiver- it didn't even look like it was breathing. It lay, unshackled, in the farthest, darkest corner of the small cell, body limp and unresponsive. Perhaps the thing had died already. That'd be such a shame for the guards, it was hard to release their pent up frustration when there were no tangible women on the island. Maybe they'd keep the corpse until it started to decay.

One guard slipped into the cell, hand cautiously wavering over a small machete strapped to his side- as if that would do any good. He delicately crossed the keroseiki stoned floor, heavy footfalls ricocheted off the walls and echoed violently in the never ending space above his head. As the cell amplified mere steps, he hardly dared to breathe lest he wake the beast. It wasn't actually dead right? Did predators tend to play dead? Or was this just a whole new level of monster?

However, when the mass did not do much as twitch, the guard relaxed. He was standing over it now, eyeing the seemingly frail body.

He hesitated to nudge it, wondering how bad it'd be to live the rest of his life with one foot. He could just walk out of here and pretend it was alive when he took patrol, leaving the confrontation to the head guard. Sure he'd be guilty but the cadet had seen what this demon could do- at least, the aftereffects of it. Twenty-seven casualties (not counting those who died later of infection or disease) and thirty-three soldiers with one or more missing limbs. It made him wonder what the hell was so special about this _thing_ that they had to wasted so much precious life on it. Why couldn't they just slaughter it? Isn't that what the Navy was for? Putting down bad guys and making the world safe? The guard steeled his resolve. He _was_ apart of the Marines. He chose this path of honour and justice. He would treat scum the way it was and not hold back. He had to protect the World Government after all.

Then, with as much force he could muster while standing still, he kicked the animal hard in its stomach and ordered, " _Get up."_

Hazy red hues struggled to flutter open as a delayed reaction to pain registered. Very slowly, the worn pools twitched to glance at the guard whom had kicked them. Dark bags hung under red, a sickening ashen purple- grey starting to spread down it's small features. The dainty, pale hand that loosely cupped its cheek twitched but did not move any more.

That happened as apart of the drug they administered hourly. It was a sedative that fuzzed over the brain and caused similar symptoms to an overdose. Though the scientist employed here assured that it wasn't enough to kill it, just incapacitate it.

After a moment, the eyes began to sway and twirl. The guard wasn't moving but, as the slit pupil sporadically widened and decreased, he began to suspect that the thing thought he was. It tried to hold his gaze, it's head even lolling to the side a bit, but it proved too much as heavy lids dropped over the dulled red eyes.

The guard, agitated by the lack of response, clicked his tongue and stomped out of the cell, making sure to accidentally crush the small foot under his boot. He was tired of not being respected for his position. He joined the navy to make his father happy, to make sure his baby girl would have a safe world to play in. He didn't join to watch friends with hopes and dreams die at the hands of pirate scum and wolves in sheep's clothing. He didn't join to be stationed permanently on this pirate infested aisle. One dreadfully humid and lethal were even the locals were trying to kill you. He didn't join to babysit the world's most dangerous kid. The guard immediately reached for the hose, having to clean her of the disgusting grime on her, slamming the iron curtain shut as he pointed the end directly at her and took fire.

When he felt that the creature was soaked to the bone, he turned off the hose, placed it back, and stormed off, muttering about how he didn't see the reason to hold some half-dead girl in a cell for all eternity.

* * *

Everything was too loud.

The wind, footsteps outside her cell, even her own breathing. It all pounded in her skull and made her utterly nauseous- or maybe that was from that human's attack earlier.

How long ago was it? Was she still wet from the water he had sprayed on her? While she didn't feel wet, she didn't feel dry either. She didn't feel much of anything nowadays- except for nausea and pain.

Why was she here again? Who was she? What was she doing? She couldn't concentrate on anything, there was too much pain.

With difficulty, the frail girl rolled her forehead to meet the cold ground. It felt nice, refreshing almost. As if the strange structure had caught the essence of the sea itself. Another bout of pain shot through her as her stomach tightened and she began to retch. But, not having eaten in so long, her throat closed up and refused to vomit anything that might be ailing her.

After countless fruitless attempts to throw up _anything_ the trembling twig started to breathe heavily. The world seemed to spin even more from the lack of air, black dots invading her vision at alarming rates. She tried to fight off the strange enemy consuming her, but all she could manage was violently twitching her fingers, flexing dirt filled claws.

Then, she faded out of conscious, petrified at the reoccurring invaders.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey don't be a weenie! This story doesn't technically belong to me. Not until my world domination.

This story takes place after Water Seven and before Thriller Bark. I know that's quite the leap but I felt that there should have been more islands in between the two and this was the perfect time to introduce this baby OC into the mix.

* * *

Chapter one

The Thousand Sunny docked on the edge of the small island, the nine crew members aboard merrily getting ready to explore until their Log Pose set.

"Luffy listen closely." Demanded the red haired navigator, Nami. "Don't go running off on your own. We don't know what's on this island and we have to be ready."

The young man she was lecturing, Luffy, was hardly paying attention. His head remained turned and fixated on the jungle just moments away, jubilantly calling for his friends to hurry up and join him. His ever-present grin stretched wider than humanly possibly and, as the woman continued to scold him- becoming increasingly more annoyed at his distraction-, his onyx eyes gleamed with mischief and he situated his treasured straw hat tightly in his head.

"We don't know if there are any marines around here and right now's not the-"

"I'm off!" He suddenly exclaimed, cutting off Nami as he sprung off the Thousand Sunny and all but sprinted into the new territory screaming at the top of his lungs about going on an adventure.

" _Luffy!_ " Nami barked fruitlessly.

She watched the trees for a little while longer, hearing her captain's horrible song fade off as Nami ran her fingers through her short red hair, already feeling a headache. She swore that one of these days she'd go bald from all the stress she had from just being _friends_ with him. This crew was full of idiots who sometimes made her question her sanity.

"Nami-swan~!" She heard from the kitchen.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Nami wondered if Chopper could make any aspirin for her.

* * *

The jungle was hot. Too hot. Like, really hot.

Luffy frowned, racking his brain for a better word than hot. He was sure there was one, he heard it often right before the temperature would get so hot that Franky's cola would evaporate and Usopp would contract a "gonna die unless I eat ice cream" disease.

Well whatever, he could always ask Nami or Robin what he meant, they'd know for sure. The two girls were really smart after all.

Luffy nodded to himself, nonchalantly pushing away a growling plant which was far too big. It was a sickly bright hue of green, red dots lining around mouth and trailed down its stem to where it was rooted in the ground. Despite the feral snarl and the literal breathing of the plant, he paid no notice to it. The odd plant reared its head back and, stem seeming to stretch out of the ground. It opened its mouth, fangs as big as Luffy himself, and tensed like a predator right before the kill. However, Luffy had lost interest in whatever it was the plant was trying to do and dipped out of the way of it's teeth and disappeared into the shrubbery as the trap stubbornly tried to sniff him out.

That's right! Where were they? Those slowpokes were missing out on all the fun. Personally it was the exploration and adventure that the Strawhat Crew always seemed to encounter that really made docking on a new island fun. Of course, picking up meat was important as well. One of the most important things second to his crew- maybe even more important.

Luffy continued to adamantly rifle through the new territory. He stretched his neck to check in the highest parts of the canopy, scaring unsuspecting birds and even a few monkeys while he followed trails of insects or something else that caught his eye. The ravenette searched under rocks, small fist-sized burrows and even caves, meeting some rather unfriendly animals he'd knock out before leaving. Normally, he would have dragged the hefty eighty grams of bear back with him to the ship but he was looking for something different.

Robin had told him that the creatures in this area were a lot like the ones in the warmer East and South Blues. She politely informed him that, no, they had not teleported or sailed to the Grandline, but instead how it had something to do with elevation or whatever. But, regardless of the height these animals were at, if this island was anything like Dawn Island then they'd have the very special thing he was looking for-

Giant tigers.

He was especially excited to find them, having not seen any since he left his hometown in Foosha Village. He couldn't wait to hunt one down like he used to with his brothers, Ace and Sabo. Though it wouldn't be the same without them to catch it with them or to drag it back home to Dadan and the Mountain Bandits, he wanted to inadvertently share a good memory with them.

And tiger meat was delicious. That was always a plus.

Luffy continued his search, checking in places ridiculously too small or improbable for a large cat to be. Jubilantly, he chanted "Meat~! Meat~! Meat~!" as if it were a catchy tune. Though he seemed far too tone deaf to realise how horrible it sounded.

* * *

Back on the Thousand Sunny, the rest of the crew were done checking over everything and ready to set off.

"That idiot!" Exclaimed the swordsman and cook simultaneously.

Their navigator had just informed them that their "oh so trustworthy" captain had run off already and, expectedly, the normal polar-opposites were cursing out Luffy. Nico Robin watched as the girl sighed and ran her fingers through her pixie cut hair, muttering of her wish that their friend would stop acting like a child for once. She crossed her arms with a deeper sigh, eliciting a coy chuckle from beside her.

"Couldn't he have waited until we were ready?" Nami huffed, turning to face Robin, her friend. "He does this all the time!"

This only caused a small, sympathetic smile to be sent her way by the older woman. Robin was never one to really show much emotion but over the time the small group had gotten to know her, they could read each other rather well.

"It is rather odd." The ravenette hummed, earning a strange look from a small bipedal furry animal and a towering eccentric man in a speedo. When she did not elaborate further, the ship's doctor tilted his head and tightened his hold on the straps of his blue backpack.

"What do you mean Robin?" Asked the Blue Nose reindeer.

The archeologist glanced down at the not quite one hundred centimetres of pure innocence with a soft smile. She tasted the question, trying to find the correct way to phrase her hypothesis.

"Luffy-san can normally stay onboard until we're done docking. But the way Nami-san says it, it sounds like he was in a hurry." Robin voiced. When she saw the troubled look on the doctor's face she added, "though it doesn't seem to be anything dangerous." Robin bit off the _yet_ she was going to add. There was no need to worry her friends over a simple case of paranoia. They always got into trouble so it didn't matter that they had one more problem to face. She was sure they could face it.

Tony-Tony Chopper seemed rather happy with this answer, perking up immediately. "It's too bad," he said with a sad smile. "tropical islands are the best places to find quality herbs and medicines, I was going to ask Luffy to help me collect some."

"Why don't we head into town to check out the SUUUUUPER stores?" Franky suggested, striking a pose.

Robin watched as Chopper nodded.

"En!" He grinned. "It'll be awesome to see what the locals have come up with!"

As the friends clamoured on what they wanted to do and what they had to, Robin smiled. There was never a day of rest for her since she had joined this crew. It was exhausting and downright frustrating sometimes but, the wanted women had never felt so calmed by this chaos as she did in that moment.

Her friends were the best in her opinion.

The crew had divided up into their own groups of plans. While Zoro stayed on the ship, the rest of them strolled down the path to the island's only town, Kaplan.

It was a long, windy dirt road that dipped into the jungle and was surrounded by beautiful scenery- if one didn't mind the occasional carnivorous beast or even plant that emerged to find food. Of course, it was no trouble for them but that didn't stop the ship's sniper from crying of his "deadly plants and animals disease".

After an hour of walking, the heat started to get to Robin. Though she wore a loose fitting white flannel that was unbuttoned as far as it could be without being seen as indecent and a short skirt, she was still affected by the humid atmosphere. This of course meant it was hell for the fur lined doctor. His steps were sluggish and he panted alongside the loudly crying Usopp.

"I wonder how far away the village is from here." The blond chef wondered aloud, earning collective groans from everyone but Robin.

"I hope it's not too far." Nami sighed. "At this rate we'll be on the other side of the island." She distractedly tugged on the low cut of her tanktop, causing Sanji, the love struck fool, to nearly pass out from his own thoughts.

"Get on my back my princess." Sang Sanji, "I'll carry you to the ends of the earth!"

Nami declined (and so did Robin when he turned to ask her) and they kept on walking in the insufferable heat. Thirty minutes after Usopp had all but begged for Sanji to carry him- he was almost roundhoused in the head- the path had started to duck into a heavier forested area. The crew entered, expecting for it to emerge once more, but instead found that it suddenly ended. There was no diverged road, no small patch, not even a sign.

Bewildered, the six glanced around, wondering for they had somehow gotten off path. They sent one another questioning glances, starting to head back.

"Do you think we made a wrong turn?" Asked Usopp, cupping his chin.

"Maybe there was a separate path we didn't see." Nami hummed, using her hand as makeshift shade while Chopper pathetically nodded, panting heavily.

"You're so smart Nami-swan!~" the blonde chef cooed, all but drooling as he followed her.

Robin tuned out the chatter of her crewmates as she sneakily glanced around the flora. She had felt an intent stare on their group for a while now and hadn't been able to pinpoint the location quite yet.

She was not too worried, as the observer seemed to have no malicious actions (though she was one to be wary of wolves in sheep's clothing) and she knew her nakama could handle it. She would keep an eye and ear out for this mysterious tag-a-long but wouldn't worry about it like she would normally have.

The archaeologist waited a moment more, as if testing the figure to make a move or attack, before turning back to her friends.

"There is something I want to find here," Robin admitted, crossing an arm under her chest to support her bent elbow. "If you don't mind, I'd like to look for it." In truth, Robin did not believe anything worth-while was here. Although this certainly was a secluded place with many similarities to other places the blocks of the Dark Age were, something told Robin that it didn't hold what she seeked. Of course, that wouldn't stop her from exploring this intriguing island.

"But this island seems dangerous." Nami frowned. It was sweet that the navigator worried over Robin like that, they were friends after all and it would be quite cumbersome if she didn't, but it spread a warm feeling through her nonetheless.

When the navigator still seemed uneasy at her desire, Robin turned to Franky. "Would you accompany me Franky-san?" She asked pleasantly, trying to inaudibly scream that she wanted him to agree, no questions asked.

She would have asked the ship's doctor but, watching as the poor furball swayed and fought to stay conscious in this heat, she had decided against it. The reindeer was meant to live in the cold- near arctic temperatures and his thick coat certainly wasn't helping his condition. While she would have loved to have his company and knowledge while exploring, she was far too worried of his well-being to subjugate him to this awful weather any longer.

Thankfully, Franky agreed, not even bothering to toss her a curious glance as Sanji dropped to his knees in tears. A smile curled on Robin's lips as Nami reluctantly accepted her friend's decision, the blonde chef wailing of his lost goddess in his huddled position in the ground.

"Be careful." The navigator warned, her brow furrowed. Of course she would be worried, who wouldn't be cautious on an island of uncharted territory? Robin knew full well that she could be in danger no matter where she stepped and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Nami was aware as well. "Alright?"

Robin hummed in agreement, crossing her arms under her chest. She waited patiently next to her half cyborg friend as Nami tried to collect the rest of the crew and herd them back to the ship. It was always amusing to watch her friends, they all had interesting characters and seemed to clash with those around them yet stayed abidingly loyal to each other. Not a day passed where she viewed their oddity as a burden nor did she wish for any difference. The archaeologist loved her friends and wouldn't trade them for the world.

After six had reduced to two, a brief silence filtered between the team before Franky turned to Robin.

"Did you have an idea where you wanted to explore?" He asked, moving his sunglasses to the top of his head so he could look at her.

Robin smiled and spun on her heel. She ignored his question and glanced once more to the gathering of trees hiding their viewer, plainly staring over so that her companion could follow her gaze.

"Not exactly." She mused.

Franky became silent as he tried to catch where Robin was looking. She almost hoped he'd spot whatever was around them and they could proceed from there. Though, based on his continuous hard stare, he could not see them.

Raven locks swayed as Robin abandoned their stare-down and she took to a gap in the trees as her path. Franky soon followed in suit, seeming to understand her plan of distraction.

They continued to push their way through overgrown flora and fauna, vibrant greens and the occasional divergence of hue clouding their visions. Robin, who led the much bigger male, would stop to look around quickly, sometimes crouching down to get a closer look at the plants before heading off once again. To outsiders it may have seemed ridiculous; she was only winding her way farther into the jungle and would only result in two lost adventures. However, Robin formulated her own plan along the way. She was sly and coy but, without knowing who or what she was up against, it would be difficult to decide where she should proceed. Right now she was stalling time, dragging the cyborg around and exploring the dangerous nature of the island while keeping a close watch on the still tailing watcher.

Robin was a solo-operation type of person. She was never good at letting others in on her plan or her thoughts but did realise that she needed to change for her friends. While they understood her and most of her actions, she knew they would only run in circles without her saying anything directly. It wasn't up to them to guess what's on her mind.

"Franky." She finally came to a halt in their trudge, turning back to face him. She didn't have to clue him in on their unwanted company- she was almost positive that he already knew of it- but to discreetly tell him her plan would only work if she worded herself carefully. After all, unwanted ears and eyes were always watching.

She stared dead at her blue pompadour friend, sneaking an obvious glance to the area of said unwanted attention before meeting his confused gaze in all seriousness. "I want to take a look at the shape of the island." She smiled, directing both their gazes to a large rock formation looming over the trees.

Frankly nodded, seeming to contemplate what his friend was trying to say.

"How much Cola do you have?" Robin asked curtly.

"Two bottles."

The archeologist frowned; her ideal situation had been dashed at the shipwright's words. Her plan of Coup de Burst was foiled as she didn't want her friend to be reduced to less than half a Cola bottle. Especially not if someone was tailing them.

With a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her blue haired companion. When a mouth had manifested beside his ear, she whispered, "there's something following us" before quickly undoing her Devil Fruit ability.

The two headed out and silently hiked the mountainside, both now acutely aware of the unwanted third party member still following them. The trees grew thinner the higher they reached, tangling and wrapping themselves around rocks to keep rooted. Robin led the way, sweating profusely while holding loosely onto a small rucksack. Inside the tote was a small coin purse for the Berries Nami had lent her, a simple book of the establishment of the World Government, and some loose leaf papers that might come in handy.

She made no move to devise a plan with Franky despite her warning, trying her best to memorise the path and surroundings. If she needed to run or lead someone to them, Robin wanted to have that covered. The ravenette sighed and shifted the strap of her bag, glancing back at her friend to see how he was.

Expectedly, he was stiff. His shoulders were tense and he kept darting his eyes to the side as if he'd find their new "friend".

* * *

Luffy was beginning to think that the tigers had moved. After all, why was it so hard to find a giant cat? Robin wouldn't trick him- he didn't think she would. There was no other explanation and he was beginning to become impatient; he wanted to eat already.

"Geez!" He huffed in frustration, hoping down a small ledge and continuing his walk. He had lost a really cool stick he had found when a giant plant ate it and he was thrown down a mudslide. Luckily he wasn't hurt but he'd never find another stick shaped just like a mermaid ever again (though, from another's perspective, it might've seemed more like a wrangled mass of twigs than a fishman). Picking out clumps of leaves sticking out of his hair and gently placing his precious hat back in its rightful place, Luffy continued his nonchalant stroll through the dangerous forest. He was about to resume his odd mashed up song when a soft chatter dragged his attention to the trees above his head.

"Monkey!" He chirped, casually approaching the small rusty creature. Expectedly, it backed away, scaling a nearby tree to sit on the lowest hanging branch. Of course, this did not deter Luffy as he simply trailed it, stopping to stare up at its spot from the ground. He wasn't really too interested in the chimp but it was the first animal that really caught his attention. He kept unblinking eye contact with the primate, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side as it made an odd cooing noise.

The monkey copied him in movements, tilting his head and shoving a finger up its nose at his action.

Now piquéd, Luffy made odd movements for the primate twin to copy, starting off small and mundane (a grin here, frantic hands waves there) until he and the mirror monkey were doing ridiculous impressions of people Luffy had met on his voyage.

Having a great time, Luffy laughed heartily. When he had calmed down, he went back to staring at the monkey, insinuating that it was its turn to show him something.

Then, the monkey began to move. At first, very stiffly and slowly, the monkey brought his hands up from his side to his chest, two fists joined. He carefully watched every move, anticipation growing inside him as the atmosphere tensed. The strawhat captain watched in amazement as the monkey moved one fist to encase its thumb and, on the other, two fingers down over its thumb.

 _Veeeeerrrrrrrrrrry_ slowly, the reddish brown primate pulled his fists apart, seeming satisfied with its deceitful trick.

" _So lame!"_ Luffy dropped his head at the oldest trick in the book. It was right up there with "stealing" a kid's nose. What pissed him off the most was the fake look of utter shock it had. As if it were entertaining someone with the brain capacity of an infant.

Luffy stopped midst his angered review when he felt something move on his head. He swung around to see another monkey of the same colour holding his precious hat. While Luffy wanted to ask why there was another monkey and tell it to give it back his treasure, the thief leapt at their exposure. He watched it scurry up a tree and along a branch all in the matter of two seconds before his anger set in.

"Oi! Give me my hat back you stupid monkey!" He shouted, rearing back his arm and sling-shotting it to the thief.

The monkey, obviously shocked by the odd ability, scrambled just under Luffy's arm as it threw itself to the branch of the next tree. It joined its look alike and they stared in wonder as the rubber arm snapped back into its original shape onto the strange body. They seemed to have a discussion of their own, pointing at the hat then at its owner and making unfamiliar chirping noises. Luffy, however, didn't care that they seemed interested in him. His focus was completely zeroed in on his missing hat.

He wasted no time in stretching both arms to a higher branch, using the pull back to fly up to the two rascals. They jumped back and took off through the trees as Luffy angrily chased them, often times coming close enough to actually touch one of them before they passed the hat to the other and split up, forcing him on a chase yet again. Not only were they crafty at dodging and weaving through him, they also seemed to be faster than any speed he went to. They were always frustratingly one step ahead of him- just out of reach.

The ravenette was becoming increasingly angrier. That was his treasure and there was no way he'd be chasing after stupid monkeys to get it. He needed his hat back and to continue his search for food- maybe he'd bring back the little thieves as well.

Luffy, in a rather frustrated manor, flung himself forward, tackling the primate currently holding his hat. The monkeys screeched in surprise and tried to dodge but he was already barrelling into them.

Success!

Luffy's hands wrapped around his beloved straw hat, joyous to feel the oddly smooth hay under his fingers again.

"Haha take that!" He yelled triumphantly, looking up at the primates as he fell. They seemed to watch in interest as he flipped himself right-side up and landed with a unusual metallic _thud_ onto the ground. He brushed himself off, placing the hat on his head as he glanced up. He had planned to scare away the pests so that he could continue his hunt when suddenly the ground gave way beneath him.

At first, Luffy thought it was a mudslide or maybe even a cave in. But, as he watched the monkeys figures grow smaller the deeper he fell, he realised mechanical doors slid over the hole, leaving him falling in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey did you hear? I don't own One Piece. I was close in a competition but I came second to Oda- a bitter second._

* * *

Chapter Two

A disruption in the small girl's sleep caused her to stir. She wasn't quite sure why- whatever thing the captors put in her made her really tired. All she really did was sleep, thus her confusion. But she couldn't dwell on it too much because thinking hurt her head. Not that her head never didn't hurt or feel fazed over.

All the small albino child could say was that it was as if the sea was breaking around her. Her calm, safe, serenity was being shattered by an unknown force, stripping her of an odd layer of protection. As much as she wanted to open her eyes and face this horrid thing for ruining the sea, she had no energy. Stone lids remained over her eyes as a heavy pressure crushed her chest.

A part of her panicked, wondering if she was no longer alone. Wondering if they were just here to hit or here to hurt. Wondering if she'd forget or if it'd be so much more vividly painful.

A pained ring shot through her head and she groaned as white dots swept over her consciousness. Not good. Not good. It hurt. _It hurt._ No. No. No. No. She didn't want this pain again; she hated the way her head would split open without wounds or blood- without killing her. Why was this happening? What was happening?

After a soft cry of agony, she slipped away to unconsciousness and let the pulsations of her head attempt to distract her from the pain.

* * *

Luffy yawned and stretched his arms, shoulders popping loudly as rubble and dust fell to the ground. With much trouble he sat up and scratched his head aimlessly, trying to remember where he was.

He strained his eyes, trying to get used to his bear black surroundings. Was he back at the ship's hold? Why did he feel so uncomfortable?

After he adjusted to the dark Luffy looked around. It didn't take much to realise that he was not anywhere he knew. But while that did beg the question of where he actually was, the thick-headed pirate didn't seem to feel too worried over the fact. Instead he tried to stand, his arms and legs as soft as jello, ultimately failing as his limbs give out underneath him and he slams his jaw rather painfully into the floor.

After an odd moment of pain, Luffy turned his head to the side so he could breath. A shock seemed to numb his senses as reality swept over him. Hitting the ground had _hurt_. And while that didn't seem as big a breakthrough he should have, it confused him nonetheless. He was made of rubber- he should have bounced back up no problem. So why was he lying down all but paralysed by the shock?

A figure lay not a metre away from him, this one scrawny and unbelievably pale. While the captain could hardly see with one eye closed against the floor and the other having disorientating obstacles like chunks of the rock, the odd company was practically glowing in the dark- which he thought was really cool. Whatever this thing was, it acted as a sort of torch and Luffy took the time to look around- hopefully for a way out.

The trap (or whatever he had fallen in) was rather spacious. He wasn't quite sure how large it was- given that he could hardly lift his head off the floor- but the dark didn't hide the damp draft and bouncing echoes that helped Luffy. It was carved to finitely to be a natural cave, the now shattered pattern of bricks laid underneath him gave the dimwit a staining suspicion.

He wanted to explore and find a way back to his ship and friends but exhaust overtook the oddly spent pirate and he pressed his cheek into the cold brick, succumbing to sleep almost the second his eyes slid shut.

When Luffy opened his eyes after his well needed nap, he had gained hardly any of his strength back. He was frustrated beyond belief- only managing to sit himself upright and fold his legs before threatening to waver unconscious again. After his head had stopped spinning, blue light barely affecting the darkness, he took another glance around.

Not half a metre away from him- just out of reach- was an oddly paled mass of _something._ He had not remembered falling with anything else but wasn't sure if it had been there before. Whatever it was, he hoped it wasn't a skeleton, that'd be creepy.

When craning his head to the side wasn't enough to see what accompanied him was, Luffy struggled to all fours. His entire body hurt, sore from some unknown prospect that made his limbs all but scream at him to lie back down. When he was stable enough (though he still shook rather terribly) he glanced over at the mass , struggling to keep his infamous hat from falling over his eyes.

Although it wasn't a skeleton, it was oddly pale, seeming to generate light of its own in the darkness of wherever he was. Long tangled hair splayed out in the floor, mixing with the dirt and grime of the ground. It caught light even in this dark hole, allowing Luffy to just barely see some of the person.

She couldn't have been more than eight. Her small body was curled up loosely despite the cool draft that kept goosebumps risen on Luffy's arms. Spindly limbs were stretched tightly with unhealthily pale skin, a greyish colour in the light.. While Luffy had never really seen a starved child before, he was almost positive that this was the corpse of an unfortunate little girl who died of starvation. He wished that this wasn't true, that this little kid was just sleeping and he wouldn't meet the same fate but there was no rise or fall in her chest. She was completely stripped and sunken in, nonmoving as far as he could tell.

Luffy sat cross legged on the stone floor. He had to figure a way to get out of wherever he was. Normally he'd just punch his way out (it hadn't failed him thus far) but this situation was different. He was too tired, too weak at the moment. He needed to think this through even if he didn't want to.

* * *

Luffy wasn't sure how much time had passed as he sat in the dark. He grew beyond bored after what felt like an eternity. How much longer would it take to get his strength back? When could he leave wherever he was? Were his friends worried? He hummed in thought, eyes screwed shut and leg bouncing impatiently. To him, it was simple. He would wait until he could move again before he busted down the walls and beat the crap out of those monkeys. While it wasn't a soundproof plan- nor was it really a plan- he nodded to himself and opened his eyes at the echoing sound of heavy footsteps.

Luffy perked his head, just able to make out the shady outline of someone when a spark of light blinded him. The flame was slowly burning on a torch held to the wall (very cliché) and seemed to dance at the corners of the room. The newfound light revealed a stout man- not too old but already past his natural youth. He was wearing a marine uniform, a gun strapped to his back, a dagger to one side and a machete to the other. It took a full minute of blank staring for the man to react, jumping in terror and wrestling his gun into his hands.

"H-hands up!" he yelled, not exactly seeming threatening to Luffy (even though he was the one in the cell).

"Ah! Hello!" Luffy greeted jubilantly. He was glad there was someone else trapped here as well. "Man what a relief, I thought there was no one else down here. Open the door and we can find a way out of here."

The man lowered his gun at the oddly vulnerable pirate. He seemed to doubt himself for a second before very cautiously saying, "I'm going to get my superior. He has the keys."

Luffy grinned and thanked him, retracting his hands to rest in his lap. He watched, unblinking as the man scurried back down where he came and sat still as the minutes for the guard's return passed.

Heavy footfalls echoed in the hall- one thudding with a metallic clunk to it while the other seemed to nervously trail behind. As the sounds got louder and the perpetrators got closer, a light danced off the walls and Luffy had to strain his eyes. A soft crackle of wood followed by the smell of smoke became more prominent until an extremely large man holding the burning torch, had strode into view. The greying guard from earlier, who seemed like a child compared to the newcomer, came not far behind.

"Ah yo!" Luffy greeted when his eyes adjusted to the light. He grinned impartially to the tall man.

A beat of silence seemed to stop the man as he stared at the captured pirate in astonishment. ". . . ffy . . ." He muttered, causing the boy to tilt his head.

Suddenly a grin cracked across the large man's face. "Strawhat Luffy," He breathed. "We've captured Strawhat Luffy."

Luffy frowned at the words. He didn't think he knew this brick wall of a man nor the puny pint beside him. He knew he wasn't the best at remembering people or places or anything but food really but he was sure that he hadn't met them before. So that would mean that they knew of him through bounty posters. He could at least make the connection upon receiving the ability to see the marine uniforms they donned.

The large man turned to face the guard swiftly. "Tell the others to check the perimeter and secure anyone else on the island." He commanded. "I'll be calling headquarters to let them know we have a body to pick up." Without another word he strode off and left the pirate captain trapped.

* * *

Robin carefully scanned over every crevice and dip of the island. She could not pertain to memory and skill alone like Nami could when she observed such things. Nor could she truly piece together who or what was following them without some knowledge of the area.

From the ledge where she stood, the archaeologist could easily see the entire island and attest for the miniature size of the aisle. Compared to how densely packed the entire mound was, it seemed all too small to exist entirely alone on the ocean.

After another minute of studying the land in question, Robin turned to Franky and offered to head back- one he gratefully accepted. She took one last look over the ledge and down at the thick groves of trees that towered about as tall as the Thousand Sunny- if not taller- before backing away and beginning their trek down the mountain.

The walk down was much more peaceful. While the oddity that was the island did not cease to entertain her, their tag along guest had disappeared and the two could move without worry.

It had taken close to an hour to arrive on sea level- less than half the time it had taken to travel up- and the sky had already begun to fade. Robin was glad she'd be back at the ship soon, a nice cup of herbal tea amidst the frequent chaos of her friends was welcomed as the status quo.

"Robin," Franky suddenly interrupted her from her thoughts. She glanced up at him and waited for him to go on but, when he continued to stare past her, she swirled around to see what he was looking at.

Although the archaeologist had wished for the soothing commotion often found on board, this was not what she had asked for.

The Thousand Sunny's deck was littered with white coated marines. They crowded at a certain spot like ants to food crumbs and, in the centre, Zoro was viciously slashing and throwing guys across the deck and into the water. He seemed to have no trouble keeping the men from overwhelming him.

The two adventurers, who had frozen in shock, broke into a dash to their invaded ship. They pushed the few marines who stood back on land, eyes solely set on their precious home.

Robin weaved her way through the clump of unwanted guests, crossing her arms loosely as Franky launched himself on board. As the Marines shouted in surprise at the cyborg's sudden appearance, a pair of arms sprouted on the side of the ship. The archaeologist used her own appendages to vault herself over the railing. She landed gracefully onto the familiar wood, the utterly confused mob men unsure where to start now that more of the infamous crew had shown up.

"Where the hell have you been?" Growled Zoro, the katana only held by his teeth hardly interfered with his anger.

Franky, who was knocking anyone within reach, yelled, "We were exploring the island. The others should have come back a long time ago!"

"I haven't seen anyone since you all left!" Zoro was nearly drowned out by the panicked screams of the marines as they flew overboard.

Robin maneuvered her way around all but crippled soldiers, unfurling her hands from her chest just as a resounding shout of "Fall back men!" broke the concentration.

The returned crew members stood still as intruders filtered off their ship. The soldiers seemed to disappear into the groves, most likely eager to get away before more members of the infamous crew showed up. Only when the last of the white coats had scampered out of view did the three begin to relax. A breeze of silence filtered through them as the sun disappeared under the skyline.

Robin glanced back down to the forest, searching for the defining traits of her friends. Behind her Zoro and Franky adamantly argued but she paid no mind to their antics as her brow furrowed in thought. Had the rest of the crew not come back? Where could they have gone? Did they get lost somehow? Or were they taken somewhere?

The flurry of questions that ran through her head made the archaeologist spin with worry. She hoped that they were okay- especially with the temperature. While she knew they couldn't have gone far and the resilience of her friends was almost infuriating, she couldn't help but worry for them. Not to mention the fact that Luffy hasn't been seen all day.

"Robin," breaking out of her spiral of worry, she turned around to the cyborg that called her. He and Zoro, seeming to have worked out whatever odd reason they had to argue, now wanted to discuss the predicament they were in.

"What do you mean they never came back?" Franky pressed.

"I mean just what I said. I haven't seen anyone since you all left the ship this morning." Zoro replied, sheathing his swords.

Robin cupped her chin in thought. She certainly did not want to think of all the awful things that may have happened to her friends and held faith that they were strong but it didn't stop her from worrying."Perhaps they were captured by whatever was following us," she turned over, thinking back to the person following her and Franky earlier.

"Aren't they just in town restocking?"

"We couldn't find a town. The path didn't lead anywhere." Franky responded.

A thoughtful silence fell over them as the limited possibilities ran their courses. Though Robin wasn't quite too sure if Zoro really was thinking about where their friends had disappeared, she knew that he was most likely right not to worry. After all, things like this always happened to the rambunctious crew. Another island where they wrecked havoc wouldn't imbalance the list too badly.

"Perhaps we should wait for them to return," Robin suggested, hiking her bag up.

"Hmm?" hummed Franky. "Is that alright with the marines crawling around?"

Zoro seemed to scoff at the idea. "Those guys brought a battalion just for one person. They obviously don't pose much of a threat to anyone but themselves."

The two others seemed to pass their own thoughts around very briefly before agreeing. It wasn't too much of a trouble to them- other than the fact that dinner would be a serve yourself one- because they trusted the others. If they got wind of trouble, those who returned to Sunny would search for them.


	4. Chapter4

_"A king does not rule with kindness; if he is not willing to shed blood then he will be swallowed by those he asked to follow him"- Oda talking to me when I asked him if I could own One Piece._

* * *

Chapter Three

Luffy sighed heavily. He was so bored. How much time had passed while he was napping? Why was he so sleepy?

The pirate captain held his hat to his head and flopped down. He hit the ground with all his weight and stared at the darkness above him before turning to his side.

The motionless body that had already occupied the cell when Luffy first dropped in still remained. The child- miraculously alive as she was so small and thin- had barely moved at all since his arrival. She twitched and groaned once in awhile but solely moved except for that. Even when the guard had come around to spray her with a high pressure hose, she did not stir. The little girl was all but dead to the world- if not already.

The loud growling of his stomach cut off Luffy's train of thoughts. He huffed at the lack of food he hadn't eaten in however long he had been trapped and rolled up. After struggling to stand and walk, the pirate captain grabbed ahold of the bars. He wanted to lie back down- maybe even collapse right there- but another even louder howl had kept him going.

"Oi!" He shouted, "I'm hungry, gimme food!" The last of his sentence faded away in echoes yet no one responded to his simple demand. He shouted again, this time with an ear out for any sign of life besides him. It took about two more annoying rounds of complaints until the heavy thudding of undoubtedly navy boots seemed to grow louder.

Luffy grew excited at the tray the guard carried. "Ah! Food!" He grinned and reached out for the stone bowl of what may have been food at one point. However the guard did not share the sentiments of the pirate and dropped the tray before the captured could touch it.

It clattered to the ground, mesh spraying onto the mould covered stones as the halls echoed loudly. Luffy stared down at the dish blankly before looking back up at the hard faced guard.

"That was stupid."

The guard's set glare faltered for a moment as he blinked in confusion at the boy behind bars.

"What?" He seemed utterly baffled at the response, blinking twice.

"You dropped it," Luffy pointed to the mush now seeping into the cracks of stone. "You should be more careful with food, it's not a good thing to waste."

It took a moment for the words to finally settle into the guard. When they did he seemed outraged at the simple piece of advice and snapped, "Well that's too bad! That's the only food you're getting!"

Now was the pirate's turn for protest. "Eh??? No way! You're the one who dropped it! You should get me more food!"

Amidst the rather pitiful bickering, the soft groans of the small child grew slightly louder. It wasn't until she had somehow dragged herself right under the pirate, harshly falling against his leg as if it were a beam of support, that the two had ceased arguing.

They watched silently as the girl twitched and clawed at the ground, as if in pain. Her muscles trembled, straining and twitching as she dragged herself forward. Luffy took a step back and silently watched as she brought herself up to the bars, limply falling against the stone with a loud crack. She didn't even seemed dazed by the noise or whatever pain it had caused her. Instead, she reached through the bars and scooped at the fallen food.

It didn't seem that she was all too picky about what she actually ate, seeing the distasteful mixture of fungi, prison food, and dirt she swallowed all the same. Though after two meager handfuls, she toppled over once more, food spilling back onto the floor again.

Luffy cocked his head at the weird display. Even the guard had seemed surprised at the situation, staring at the unconscious child as if she sprouted two heads and sang a Yiddish folk song.

"Oi," Luffy crouched down to flick a white triangular ear of the once more still body. "You shouldn't eat that stuff. You need meat."

The guard had snapped out of his stupor and began to back away. Luffy watched curiously as the marine tripped over his own feet and slammed to the ground. He scrambled away, a deeply rooted expression of terror etched onto his face as his voice seemed to catch in his throat. It wasn't long until the guard had sprinted down the stone corridor and out of sight. Luffy almost felt bad for the man, maybe he didn't think anyone would actually eat the food- hell, the pirate knew he wouldn't. Turning his attention back to the child he crouched beside, Luffy finally took her in.

She was a frail thing- just bones with porcelain skin stretched to the limit covering them. She probably hadn't seen the sun in a very long time- maybe never- as she did not have any colour to her. The only thing that gave her some shadow permanency was the grime and nasty bruises that covered her body. Her arms seemed to have several bruises and burns around her wrists and upper arms where her skin had been rubbed raw; her legs were covered in residue of violence to a similar standard. While her stomach did not seem to have the same degree of horrifying welts and lash marks that took up every inch of her back, it was dangerously bloated. Without knowing that she was alive, Luffy would have thought she were a skeleton. Her eyes were so sunken in and cheeks so hollow that it seemed that someone had placed cat ears and a white wig on a skull.

For a moment, looking at her, Luffy wondered what she did to deserve this. Had she stolen from the base? Was she the child of someone notorious? Why would these marines feel the need to starve such a young child?

She softly groaned, fingers twitching as she roused out of her unconscious state. The left white triangle atop her head flicked, capturing the boy's attention almost immediately. He dropped the difficult thoughts and instead took to rubbing the girl's ear gently.

It wasn't soft at all. Dirt clung to the strands and grime had left the appendage stiff and crackly. She probably had never had a bath on top of a proper meal. He wondered what else she had missed out on. Did she know how to play and run around? Was she ever out all night with friends? Had she ever had meat?

Deep in thought about this girl, Luffy continued to comb his fingers through her gross hair. He wasn't quite sure why but she seemed a lot like a pet to him. Like a small critter that he couldn't eat because of feelings attached to it. He was fine with the feeling- she wouldn't taste good if she was malnourished and since she was human he didn't fancy himself as a cannibal no matter how hungry.

By the time someone had returned, Luffy had laid himself back against the cell wall in order to keep an eye out. The unconscious girl had not moved from her puddle of prison salsa though she was still very faintly breathing- spasms of pain in her face and the twitch of unresponsive muscles the only thing that broke the rhythmic silence.

The same large man from earlier had returned with two men. One was donned in a white lab coat and held a clipboard while the other was a foot soldier who carried the torch. With the fire in the lead, the other two stood back and merely observed as they approached the cell.

"Strawhat Luffy," the wall of a man greeted. The clang of the lock sealing said pirate inside stopped him from responding. The man in the lab coat had begun to unlock the door, dragging Luffy's attention away from his captor as lab man and torch guy slipped into the cell toward the unconscious girl. "What is your crew's objective by docking on this island?"

Luffy did not answer. He remained completely fixated on the add-ons' movements. Lab man had injected something into the girl, causing her to go limp immediately. After flicking the syringe tube a couple of times, lab man doubled the dosage.

"What is your target?" The one outside the bars pressed as the two inside shouldered the body.

"Where are you taking her?"

Lab man and torch guy slid out of the cage as the wall secured the lock behind them. He seemed to relish in the curiosity of the captain and grinned.

"Taken a liking to her have ya? Don't worry once the doctors see how far along she is, we'll bring her right back and you can have at her."

* * *

Usopp struggled against the ropes that bound him to a massive tree. It was just his luck to be caught by some crazy aborigines. He knew he should have stayed on the ship. He knew something bad would happen- it always did.

The sniper groaned from the bump he had received on the back of his head. He looked around him, sighing in relief when he found the ship's doctor Chopper and a googly eyed Sanji to his left. After a moment, he realised that Nami was nowhere in sight and began to crane his neck for just a glimpse of her.

"Don't move!" The native guarding them barked, aiming her spear tip at Usopp's neck.

The sniper, of course, obeyed and slowly lowered himself back to a relaxed position. He grit his teeth in panic, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't want to die here and he definitely didn't think that she would be someone to reason with.

Chopper began to stir next to him, shifting uncomfortably against the ropes. The furry doctor let out a small groan before opening his eyes.

The native had lowered her spear, completely enraptured by the human-like qualities of the Sunny's doctor. She all but dropped to the ground and leaned in close to examine the reindeer's face.

Chopper had flinched back, panic settling in as he cried out in confusion. "W-w-what's going on!?"

Usopp set his lips tightly. He wanted to help the poor guy but after another glance at the spear that lay on the ground, he closed his mouth. As long as she didn't hurt him, the sniper wouldn't have to do anything. No sense in provoking her.

Glancing over the crying reindeer, Usopp tried to catch Sanji's attention. However, the chef was too busy ogling the native woman's limited clothing to even think about escaping.

The sniper bit his lip. There was no way out of this without the cooperation of his friends.

Usopp has fallen asleep tied against the tree trunk. He had tried his best to remain alert, he shouldn't have been able to sleep at all with the panic that normally came with being kidnapped. But after their captor had proved to be lenient on them as long as they didn't talk or move much, and when night had brought out the chatter of insects, the sniper managed to catch a break from his stressful day.

He wasn't quite sure what time it was when he roused out of his rest but the forest had yet to light up. He could hardly see the faint outline of Chopper next to him, spread out to help with the still dreadful heat.

Usopp yawned, trying his best to stretch under ropes as the grey mist of the morning began to filter through the treetops. He waited patiently for the others to wake and made no move- not even when the guard had awoken with a startled gasp and wildly checked to make sure her prisoners were still there.

He wondered how long it would be until they got out of this mess. Would the natives try to sacrifice him? Or would they eat him? Personally Usopp didn't want to stick around long enough to find out but with Sanji a drooling mess and Chopper all but dead on his feet, the sniper would have to wait for the rest of the crew.

He sighed again and laid his head back against the bark. This would be a long day.

* * *

Nami had been thrown into some weird situations. Being a pirate would do that- knowing Luffy would do that. So when she had woken up in another unfamiliar place with no recollection of how she got there, it didn't even really come as a surprise.

What had come as quite the shock was the warm, soft brush of pelts against her bare chest. _That_ was not normal.

The red haired navigator shot up, arms crossing over her exposed breasts as she curled in protectively. She glanced around the room wildly, eyes aiming for any sign of danger. A hard glare masked her fear and confusion as she met eyes with a pair of people on the other side of the room.

Said pair, an older woman and a lanky young man, was startled at the ginger's sudden movement. Both surged forward, the male bursting into a flurry of some strange language while the woman tried to gently push Nami down onto her back.

"Let me go!" She demanded, ripping the hands off her. She threw a pelt and tried to sit up, only to be held down by the older woman.

Nami struggled violently, the pressure on her shoulders keeping her pinned to the pile of fur. She grit her teeth together as the young man had returned to the older woman's side from being thrown away earlier.

He seemed to try to speak with her but the red haired navigator couldn't understand a word he was saying. She continued to struggle until a sharp voice had commanded her in a way she understood.

"Good," The old woman rasped slowly. "Please stay."

Nami laid quietly as the woman turned and discussed something with the young male in the language she didn't understand. She had to pay close attention to both of their gestures and facial expressions to get a sense of their actual conversation as they spoke in sounds Nami could repeat back easily but in the seemingly random combinations they used them, had no meaning to her. The man looked apprehensive, dark eyes shifting between the elder to the navigator. He must have said something to offend the old woman because her expression hardened and she quipped something back at him, causing him to mumble apologetically.

Then, to Nami's surprise, the man slowly released her shoulders and sat back. The two strangers had given her room to recover herself with a pelt lying discarded and sit up. She kept her head low, eyes flickering around her confinement for some way of escape.

"Not being alarmed."

Nami glanced at the old woman. It was not a statement but a poorly translated way of telling her to calm down. She met the old woman's eyes but made no move to relax herself.

The woman sighed and said another thing to the young man over her shoulder. He nodded and stood up, Nami's eyes snapping to him as he walked to the corner of the stone structure they were inside. He retrieved something before returning to the two women and handed off what Nami instantly recognised as her clothes.

The young man seemed to hesitantly offer the stolen cloth back which Nami wastes no time in snatching it to her chest.

"Wear them." The old woman urged, after Nami had refused to move an inch.

After the red haired navigator had changed back to her shorts and tank top, never taking an eye off the two strangers who waited in the room, the old woman spoke.

"Thought your position as nurturer," she brokenly explained. "Not warrior."

Nami nodded slowly, trying to decode the horrible Japanese the old woman spoke in. The navigator had no idea what these positions of "nurturer" and "warrior" had to do with stripping her in a room of animal skins. What connotation did such positions hold? And what did that mean to her?

The old woman seemed to see the turmoil in Nami's eyes but, instead of saying anything to her, she spoke to the young man who rushed to the navigator's side and ushered her out of the stone hut.

Nami complied, unhappy with the hand on her back but didn't move to correct it. She still wasn't quite sure what the two of them were capable of. Not to mention the complete change in her surroundings.

It seemed that they had built their settlement in the jagged rocks of the mountainside. Small abodes had been beautifully carved out to house what must have been hundreds of people. The winding path that went up and into the stone reached on higher then the giants she had encountered on her journey. It wasn't just a mountain- it was a home. It was a thriving community.

Turning her attention to her immediate surroundings, Nami took in the interactions of the people and their gestures. Most of it was curiosity. She had never heard of an island that spoke in an unknown language. Everywhere she had gone thus far had spoken Japanese. Were they somehow cut off from the rest of the world? What kept them in the dark about the world government's power?

She studied the people who had emerged from their hiding holes to see the captured woman. They seemed to wear clothes fashioned from furs- most likely from the animals that inhabited the island. Various pelts of odd patterns draped over bodies despite the heat. They seemed more for decoration in some instances- perhaps showing off wealth and status? But on other people, beads and curious shapes whittled from an unknown substance adorn bodies. From being tied around appendages to wrapped around the waist, they hung off grown men and women alike, both genders exposed from their waist up.

Nami couldn't tell what rhyme or reason there was to these fashion statements. There seemed to be no regard for gender or age in either category and the only ones exempt from the separation seemed to be children who wore whatever they pleased. The navigator wondered briefly if it had something to do with the marine's age old tactic of "divide and conquer" though there seemed to be no tension on the surface.

'Usually when everything is going right that's a sign that there's a storm brewing underneath,' she bitterly reminded herself as a young boy gasped at the sight of her and turned to the man dressed in beads beside him to babble away in their foreign language.

* * *

When the girl had finally returned, carelessly thrown in the cell again, Luffy was in handcuffs. Apparently he had been sitting in a cell of kairoseki the entire time and- while he was already weak, more foot soldiers had come in not long after the unconscious child was taken away to clean the cell. They had been careful to bring the dangerous criminal to the wall, both arms shackled by the wrists and hanging above his head without giving him a chance to bolt- not that he would have gotten far with how drained he was.

The cell was now free of most of the chunks that Luffy had broken out of the ground at his fall, smaller bits of loose rubble still plagued the place. The cracked craters he had created on impact were torn up to reveal even more kairoseki stone underneath. He briefly entertained the thought that he could continue to smash the ground to break free of the prison- down seemed to be a good way to go as he could not see the trap door he had fell through (much less reach it) and the echoing he'd heard around him has only really told him that this place was one thing: big. But after straining his eyes, he found that all around the cell broken pieces of stone had been uprooted, even the sides of the wall had chips. While there were obviously fresh ones, he could see moss and weeds sticking through some cracks directly under the sole sliver of light that poked through a crater, hardly visible in the dancing shadows of the torches along the outside wall.

Finally the Strawhat captain focused on the girl ('Cat girl' as he had dubbed her). She lay in a heap in the middle of the cell, still as unconscious as before she left. She didn't seem to have been harmed- anymore than she had been when he first saw her- but was the lack of change that made him curious. What were they doing with Cat girl? Why did they need to stick all those needles in her? Was she sick? She didn't seem too bad- other than her food choices.

Luffy sighed, his eyelids feeling far too heavy. He hated kairoseki; the way it made him feel weak; the constant encounters he had with it; how it hindered his plans. The constant nagging under his skin made him shift uncomfortably- like a bug crawling on him that he couldn't get rid of. It made him uneasy and extremely nauseous, pile driving his stomach through his throat continuously.

He glanced over at Cat girl. She remained as unconscious as ever, face first into the ground and body twisted at an odd angle to favour her bloated stomach. After a moment of staring at her, face blank, he decided that he wanted to talk.

"Ne." No movement.

"Ne." Slightly louder but gifted the same results.

" _Neeeeeee._ " He pouted at the lack of response.

"Oi, wake up!" Luffy shouted, his nonexistent patience wearing thin. Finally a twitch was earned from his calls. Not much of anything- a simple flick of the ear. But it spurred him on nonetheless and he began to make as much noise as he could. Shouting wildly and flailing his feet to catch on jagged stones as his cuffs and chains clanked against the wall vigorously.

 _"Shut up already!"_

Luffy's noise ceased immediately. He forgot that he was captured and the racket he was making was not too pleasing to the marines at the base.

"Ah! Sorry, my bad!" He called, snickering carelessly.

A soft groan brought his attention away from the annoyed marines. His head snapped to Cat girl, watching as her body roused itself out of its slumber. She found enough strength to push herself off the floor, weak arms barely holding her up.

"Hey, you're awake!" Luffy cheered, shifting his position so that he could see her better.

She sat up right, hair draped over her face in tangled and grimey strings. She looked around, as if confused as to where she was. Luffy watched curiously as she showed no signs of panic at her captivity nor any moves to escape despite being free of shackles.

"Hey could you let me out of these?"

Red irises, somewhat fogged over, snapped to Luffy at his request. He saw her entire body tense, wildly scrambling backwards until her she was tucked away into the darkest corner, eyes trained solely on the captain.

Had he surprised her? He thought that she knew he was here- he hadn't done anything to hide himself. Maybe she was just an airhead. Luffy tilted his head, watching her as she curled into a small ball with her eyes trained on him for any movement.

"What are you doing?" He asked bluntly. With no response from her, Luffy continued to ask questions. Anywhere ranging from how she got in the cell to why she was so dirty to where she had gone before.

Only silence followed, not a noise from Cat girl as she seemed to find a spot she was comfortable with. As she sunk into the shadows, disappearing slightly as the sunlight filtered over her head. She didn't seem like the talkative type- unless she was just being rude and ignoring him.

"Hey I'm bored talk to me," he demanded, seeing her flinch at his hard stare.

Despite his incessant whining for attention, Cat girl did not humour him in the slightest. Did she think he would hurt her? He hadn't said anything that he thought would come off as angry. Maybe she just didn't like him.

Luffy frowned at the thought, wondering what he had done wrong in the brief moment they had interacted. He wasn't good at reading people. If Chopper was here he'd know how to talk to her.

* * *

 _"Wahhhhhhhhhh! Save me, Sanji! Usopp!"_

Usopp pressed his lips together in a thin line, hands roped down to his side and his butt in pain from sitting for so long.

"Oi, Chopper calm down!" He pleaded, eyes darting around to anything he could perceive as an opening. The sniper wished he had his bag on him but the group that had captured them had stripped them of anything dangerous.

He felt that Sanji had the entire situation down, his kick had already sent two men far off into the forest. So he held down the fort where he was, watching the chef's back while trying to keep an eye on the doctor.

Chopper was currently held by a gruff looking woman while others crowded around the reindeer. His screams of terror and resistance sent Usopp's stomach plummeting as the circle around him tightened. His friends were fighting and suffering while Usopp remained tied to a stupid tree.

He kicked and struggled, digging his heels into the ground to try to rip the rope in some way. But no luck, he was still stuck. "Stay calm, Chopper," he called, forearms rubbed raw at the twine of the binding. "I'm on my way!"

The desperate, belated cry of his friend spurred the sniper on, trying to snag the rope on the same divot Sanji had freed his own binds with. However, he lacked the two inches he needed to catch the string, no matter how awkwardly he bent his arms. A shadow fell over him as another grunt of impatience left him, not quite able to reach the knot.

An unidentifiable string of sounds caused the brunette to immediately stiffen, looking up so fast he accidentally knocked the back of his head against the tree. Opening one eye, tears welling from the dull pounding in his head, he found a warrior towering over him.

Usopp set his jaw at the hardened glare of his captor. He tried to move discreetly but every move he made seemed to be carefully considered in their mind as their eyes never left him. He knew that his usual tactics would not work- how could he talk his way out of a situation to someone who didn't understand him? He needed a distraction. He needed something to help him out of these binds and let him help in any way possible.

The gift he asked for was delivered in an instant. The entire area seemed to shake as not only he, but everyone in the area seemed to look to the devastated trail of broken trees and forest.

" _Sanji!_ " Chopper cried, still struggling.

A warrior seemed to have gotten the better of Sanji. How? How had someone managed to land a hit on the ship's chef? They've been to Marineford and back. Just how strong did someone have to be to accomplish that?

Shaken to the bone, Usopp stretched in a way he should not be able to bend and caught the knot restraining him. He furiously rubbed the rope raw, mind in a fury of panic. They couldn't fight someone who could best one of the Strawhat's own monster trio. It was impossible. Completely impossible. He needed to get as far away as he could. These people were more than dangerous.

As the ropes fell off his pulsating wrists, the long-nosed sniper immediately reached for his weapons bag only to grasp at air. A quick look down confirmed that his method of fighting had been confiscated and, if things could be any worse, it seemed the group of warriors who had sent Sanji flying had turned their attention to him at someone's shout.

Usopp felt his bones liquify as the harsh glares of battle-ridden warrior men directed at him. No way. He couldn't do this with his bare fists.

"O-oi oi, ganging up on one person seems like a bit of an exaggeration, right?" He tried to reason meekly.

The attempt fell on deaf ears as a warrior wearing the head of a taxidermied lion surged forward, an elegantly curved spear headed directly for his heart. He felt reality slow as an even larger cloud of panic spread across his mind. He needed to dodge but found that his legs had turned to jello, knees knocking violently as a very sharp blade impended.

A blur of black snapped the spear in half, sending the blade flying directly into the nearest tree as it sunk near to the hilt effortlessly. Usopp gulped at the clean slice, the horror of realisation setting in as he imagined what such an instrument would do to something as measly as his body.

"Tsk," Sanji whipped out his lighter, seamlessly sparking the stick of nicotine between his lips. "You guys must not have many guests." He gently blew out a cloud of smoke, eyes closed in an almost serene sense (if it wasn't for the blood avidly streaming down his forehead). Before he opened his eyes, another charged and, as if acting on instinct, the chef leapt into the air just as a short sword hit the ground where he had stood.

Before the attacker could turn around, the blonde had delivered a harsh kick directly to his temple, sending the man flying in a similar fashion as Sanji had earlier. Moving on to one after another, Sanji took out nearly every one of the warriors. Many seemed to put up a good fight, managing to keep pace with the ridiculously nimble movements of their opponent. While they had been distracted, Usopp had rescued Chopper (he yelled at the reindeer to run to where he was hiding behind a tree when his captors had dropped him). They cheered on their friend, watching as the opponent's group dwindled from thirty to seven. These seemed to be the warriors who could just barely dodge Sanji's lethal kicks.

"We need to hurry back to the ship." Usopp turned to look at Chopper. He felt utterly naked without his weapons' bag. Chopper nodded, brow set in determination. He looked odd without his hat and knapsack and the double-take Usopp had to do reminded the sniper that they needed to get back their things as well. It wasn't often that the reindeer forwent his signature hat and the change was oddly large. He looked more like a giant stuffed animal than ever.

" _Nooooooooooo!"_

Before the two had even begun to move, the desperate wail of their fighting friend had snapped their attention to the battlefield. Usopp immediately panicked, the need to cry for help already leaving his mouth. Had Sanji been hurt? Had he found an enemy he couldn't face?

It was none of those things. Instead the duo found their friend ashen and wilting, horror plastered onto his face as he looked at the warrior he had just kicked.

"O-oi, Sanji! What's the matter?" Usopp stuttered, trying to grasp the strap of his stolen bag for comfort. He couldn't see what the big deal was. Had Sanji kicked the warrior too hard? The wolf skin that lay over their head flew off, hitting the ground as they braved themselves under the iron leg of the chef. Their hair fell out of its confinements, bone trinkets weaves within braided hair clacking at the sudden freedom. Usopp didn't see what the big deal- oh. _Oh_.

 _Oh no_.

Standing defiantly from the spot, doubled over with hands wiping the blood from their swollen, freshly bruised cheek, stood a young, very attractive women. Her long ebony hair reached mid-back, random strands twisted into braids with small trinkets tying them together. Her eyes gleamed dangerously,

Sanji seemed to cry as if his heart had been ripped out and smashed while he watched. He fell to his knees heavily, disbelief splayed across his face.

"I have brought harm to such a breathtaking lady!" The chef wailed. "I am unfit to live any longer!"

The warrior seemed unimpressed with his display of grief- if she had even understood it. In a swift, fluid motion she swept her leg through the air, connection directly with Sanji's temple. The man had not tried to dodge. He didn't even flinch though her knew full well what was happening and could have easily dodged. Instead, he allied himself to fly back into the forest, landing with a sickening crash.

Usopp blanched as the warrior didn't falter before launching into the forest after his friend, body lean like a jaguar on the hunt. She attacked Sanji relentlessly, not giving him time to recover or react, though the sniper doubt he would have.

"Sanji! Run!" Usopp called fruitlessly. The next kick the warrior had delivered sent Sanji _through_ two tree trunks.

" _Sanji!_ "

Chopper dashed out from behind Usopp, build resembling more ape than human as the reindeer sprinted to his friend.

Instead of scooping up the chef and booking it, the doctor stood in between his collapsed body and the warrior woman who hadn't paused for a second before going in for another attack. She leapt into the air, fists reeled back to guide her fury. Her lips were drawn back in a snarl at seeing another challenge her. Chopper seemed to brace for the attack she had aimed for Sanji, arms ready to deflect. However the warrior changed tactics and reached up for a branch that she used to throw herself to the left.

Usopp watched in amazement and dawning horror as she used a tree as a backboard and kicked off to Sanji.

"Oi! That's cheating!" He yelled, grasping the air where his slingshot normally sat. "Leave him alone!"

Chopper's hand shot out, managing to just grasp her ankle before she could make it any farther. Using the momentum of his turn and her surprise, he swung her backwards, letting her crash into a tree with a sickening crunch.


End file.
